Perhaps the delightful Suzette would like to comment on the appearance of a new edition of The Joy of Cooking as reported in the NYT mag as well today? We have had discussions in the past about the value of old vs new versions of cookbooks. One of my favs, for example, is the c1974 paperback Fannie Farmer Cookbook that my grandmother gave everyone for christmas one year. Mine is in tatters and in fact I picked up an identical copy on ebay, just as insurance.
Suzette is a big fan of JoC (despite their weird legal eagleness) but eschews newer versions for an older, gentler one that had useable recipes. On her advice, I purchased a nice 1964 edition on ebay that looks lightly used, couple of spots, worn dust jacket. It has two marking ribbons. These currently mark “remoulade” and a two page spread of pot roast, brisket and sauerbrauten. How will she feel about a new one if it has, as the NYT implies, sushi tips? This should be good for a few weeks of topics, eh?
Just to stir things up (ooops) I notice that the page facing the foreword of my copy bears the following:
“That which thy fathers have bequeathed to thee,
earn it anew if thou wouldst possess it.”goethe: Faust
